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Women's Issues
Kurdish women find themselves faced by difficulties in many different arenas. As mothers, they often find themselves alone, defenceless and put into the role of lone carers and breadwinners because their husbands have been killed, have disappeared or fled into exile. In Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran and in exile, their children are educated in languages they often do not understand and cultures they are unfamiliar with, which often creates a cultural division within the family which can be difficult to bridge. Often Kurdish women find it hard to express themselves independently by taking on non-traditional roles, while still remaining part of Kurdish society.
Torture of Kurdish Women in Turkey
Kurdish women in Turkey find themselves involved in the Kurdish national struggle, whether they themselves are activists or not and consequently are targets of the Turkish regime and routinely subjected to torture. Kurdish politicians, lawyers, journalists and students have all been tortured because they attempted to claim their right to freedom of expression, while others have found themselves facing torture by virtue of their nationality. They are also the prime carers for other members of their families who have been victims of torture. The use of torture against Kurdish women is found not just in Kurdistan in Turkey, but in Western Turkey too and is systematically employed to stop Kurdish women's involvement in the national struggle and to destroy the very heart of Kurdish society, the family.
A detailed report can be found at: http://www.amnesty-usa.org/turkey/women.html
Kurdish Gender Studies: Research in Progress Workshop, Katzow, Germany.
A workshop for those involved in the research of Kurdish gender studies, in particular for those studying the links between gender and ethnicity, nationalism and violence. It has been organised by the Berlin Society for Advancement of Kurdish Studies and an ongoing project at the Institute of Iranian Studies, Free University Berlin entitled "Kurdish Identity and Political Movements in Exile".